Tourer launch date?
 

Hi
I am new to 75 ownership, having just bought a Y-reg CDT Club SE, formerly an MG-Rover company car. I'm wondering just how early it is, can anyone tell me the launch date for the Tourer, and is there any way to find out what the chassis numbers began at?
Cheers

Unfortunately , I can't give you an exact date. BMW did develop the Tourer along side the Saloon but held back on giving the go ahead for Tourer production. This was possibly as a result of the disappointing sales following the explosive speech by Bernt Pischetsrieder at the 1999 Motor Show, which overshadowed the launch, and must have affected customer confidence in Rover, due to uncertainty as to the company's survival.

Consequently after BMW bailed out and Phoenix took over, the transfer of production facilities from Cowley (Oxford) to Longbridge took place over the summer of 2000 with production restarting in around October that year. The trim tracks and paint shop were commissioned first with the body line and robots coming later due to the additional time in installation. I believe that the earliest saloons built at LB were with Cowley built shells which were stockpiled at LB while the "body in white" plant was installed in LB West Works. At the same time, the plant was adapted as necessary to accomodate the Tourer which were never built at Cowley.

My Tourer was built in Dec '01 and was registered in March '02 and was numbered SARRJxxxxxx245771. I think that the Tourers had serial numbers in the same series as the saloons with a T showing Tourer and L showing Saloon at position 7 in the VIN number. The earliest Tourer I have seen was on a Y plate and had the door engine variant (torpedo) badges which were one of the first Project Drive deletions.

www.austin-rover.co.uk reports that the body in white plant at Longbridge (i.e. producing the primed body shells) was up and running in "early 2001" with the introduction of the estate planned (at the time the article was written) for "mid 2001".

There is however a photograph on the Rover 75 part of this site, ostensibly showing a Tourer on cold weather testing in Switzerland in 1999. It carries the pretty meaningless registration number N269 FYA. The car looks pretty much as the production variant as far as I can tell, but it does have the black sills, as carried by the Cowley built cars. This is likely to indicate, it would have been a hand built development vehicle using as many of the production components as possible. Tourers were afaik all built with body coloured sills at Longbridge. I'm afraid that is the sum of my knowledge.

Rover 75 Tourer launch
 

Our Tourer on 'Y' plate and was a dealer ex demonstrater first registered in July 2001 - we purchased it in September 2001.We did see A 75 Tourer prior to official launch in North Devon.

It was pretty much the very end of May 2001 when it went official I think. I started at MGR at the end of April 2001 and one of my very first jobs was to go to Millbrook and take the rear seats there for a seat strength and seat belt anchorage test in the first few weeks of May.

It was really close as the first few bodyshells were due to hit the real production line assembly literally 15 mintues after the end of the test so they were desperate to make sure that the seats passed their strength test..... which they did.

The first ones were registered early in 2001 I believe as these were pre production development cars with very early development cars the year before I believe. An early July 2001 car will be fantastic with regards parts quality and will not have gone through the project DRIVE fiasco.

Yes interestingly the rear seats in the Tourer seem to be a little thinner than in the saloon, also the centre arm rest has no stowage feature.

I suppose it was a design compromise to ensure the seat folded down as far as possible for load carrying??

I can remember that I wanted a Tourer when I baught a Freelander in March 2001 & remember very well being told that the launch of the Tourer was to be in July 2001.

Thank you all for your replies. It confirms my suspicions that mine is rather early...

It was registered on May 3rd 2001, to an individual c/o MG Rover Group Ltd Company Vehicle Control, and was loaded with every available option (highline navigation, pearlescent BRG paint, colour coded interior, intelligence pack, self levelling suspension, sunroof, harmon kardon hifi upgrade and so on).

Even now it's only done 50,000 with a full history (down to the wiper blade changes). The first service was carried out in the Flightshed. Compared with a lower mileage late Tourer I looked at a few months ago the quality is definitely higher, and I am so pleased I took the plunge and bought it. I look forward to many years of 75 ownership... I did wonder why there was no stowage in the rear armrest... now I know!

Possibly a Pre-production car or more likely an ex Press car & if that is the case it will have "Press garage" stamped in the service book.
Why is there no stowage in the armrest?

It was an option on the Tourer, not fitted as standard but it does still fold down flat (the seats) when fitted. Well on the facelift anyway.

I don't think it was a Press Car, it was supplied via a Kent dealer to someone who's name I've seen crop up on a Rover Forum as an ex-Company man...

I think a 'Press Garage' stamp would have put me off!

Did Rover dish out pre-production vehicles as company cars?